Paint my Chest (With Your Heart)
by y-ye
Summary: Hinata has always been aware that having a Mark instead of a Name is a bit of a curse. Names always lead to someone concrete, someone you could find on Facebook or Google, and they often were displayed somewhere obvious. The silver and blue scepter with some foreign scrawl that was most certainly not a name made things like finding your partner... difficult. (13/1/15
1. Let it Live (And Die)

Everyone always thought he'd gone and gotten a tattoo at some ridiculously young age when they first saw it. The Mark. Typical of them, really, but no. No, it was his Mark. It was all smudged like watercolors, swirling grays and whites and blues marbled over his rabbit quick heart. The colors actually swirled if you stared long enough, or so Hinata found when he was staring at it one day. Like they were restlessly waiting for something... Or rather, someone.

Natsu said it was making its mind up, because all the Hinata's were just too weird to have a decided soulmate. Her own Mark swum on her ankle, their mother constantly covering the brown and pink and green with socks. His mom said all Marks were like that, only settling after you had talked to your soulmate or they had talked to you. That was how it'd been for dad and her. His middle school friends teased it might form into a volleyball if he wasn't careful.

It didn't really matter now- whoever it was, they weren't here yet, except in a few colors on his skin.

He'd joined Volleyball out of his own will, not some stranger who left the colors on his skin. Maybe he hoped it would bring them closer late at night when in between awake and asleep thoughts of brown hair, strong arms, a constant smile, an ever present belief that they would think he was strong...

His mum had never said anything about knowing their father before meeting him. But then, it seemed like a private sort of thing, these ambiguities that only he knew. Like the dream he'd had a child, one where he smears red and gold and dull orange onto another boy's heart, and received his blues and grays and whites. And if the most treasured of those visions had been a bright young boy with a volleyball in his arms just after Hinata had seen the Small Giant play... well.

A child could dream.

But that was only really late at night. Most of the time, he got by just fine without any talk of Marks or love. Sometimes someone would bring it up. How they had met their Name through various coincidences, or how they just needed to know if his first name was so-and-so, or sometimes girls would giggle before letting their gazes dart to their wrists, or an ankle, or one time the curve of their ear. It was pretty easy to avoid that kind of talk with an excuse of practicing volleyball.

Though, a few of the volleygirls knew about his Mark and would pull him aside every week or so to ask if he'd found his Writer yet, not unkindly but a sort of pity in their tired smiles when he inevitably said no. No, the Mark still weaved over his chest, shrinking and expanding with his breaths. Proof of the other person living without him.

Rule number one about having Marks instead of Names- Your Mark will form into its true representation of your partner within seconds of meeting them.

There was no special light announcing this change, or heat, or anything useful like that. So usually people would run into someone, talk for a bit, walk home, go to take a bath or change, and then suddenly scream because they had finally met their love- but who the fuck was it? It's easy to assume you'd check your Mark after meeting every new person, but it's just not practical because marks liked to form in... indecent places that shouldn't be seen in public, or couldn't be checked without letting the rest of the world know you didn't have a Name.

Names were simple enough in theory, even if they were in a language you didn't recognize. A quick google search and boom, there you were. However, in practice they too were sometimes hard to find. The Name you got to carry around would be your partners true name, the one they felt most comfortable with. This meant you sometimes got a stage name, or if your partner was trans their chosen name, or anything along those lines. Still, it was a whole lot easier to find those people than it was to find a blob of colors that didn't form until you talked to them.

Weirdly enough, Hinata's realization was rather typical- except Tsukishima saw it in the changing room and went "Huh." without saying one damn thing about it. Which was really unhelpful because Hinata had no idea that was what he meant until he went to take a shower and Natsu nearly shrieked his ears off as he was taking off his shirt. As she ran from the room, yelling for their mother to "come see!" he went over to the mirror and glanced at his fate.

Rule number 2: Marks have responsibility attached.

Hinata has always been aware that having a Mark instead of a Name was a bit of a curse. Names always lead to someone concrete, someone you could find on Facebook or Google, and they often were displayed somewhere obvious. The silver and blue scepter with some ribbon emblazoned with a foreign scrawl that was most certainly not a name made things like finding your partner... difficult. This happiness he would have to reach out for. Marks were a sign of freedom to decide your own fate, even if there was only one choice by the end.

Still, he could see why others might romanticize the idea in novels and film. Not only were they just different enough to spark controversy, at the end of the day they were gorgeous pieces of art. The colors still seemed to swirl, just in tiny circles that never shifted. The image itself looked like watercolor, runny paint dripping down from his collar bone to his abdomen. The words were carefully inscribed on ivory ribbon, the navy blue letters flowing from one letter to the next. It seemed... too fancy. Reaching out a hand, he traced the image in the mirror.

It seemed like a dream...

The third and final rule was considered the most important rule: Don't put your Writer before yourself. If you found them before you're ready, it's fine to leave them to find yourself. Just figure out who they are and let them know.

Now that he looks back, he swears somewhere in his mind he knew who it was and was afraid. After all, Oikawa Tooru was older than him, taller than him, completely terrifying, and an obstacle against Hinata's current goal- Get strong enough to face Nekoma at the finals. Back then, he never would have wanted Oikawa as his Mark Writer.


	2. Pretty Lil' Secret

Going to practice the next day was actually fairly routine. Hinata had a lot of practice with avoiding unwanted gazes on his mark, even if over night it'd practically doubled in size. Tsukishima was eyeing him oddly though... But Yamaguchi always seemed to distract him before anything happened, that freckled angel.

After that, it was almost like he forgot his Mark had formed. Nishinoya popped out of the woodwork, dragging Asahi right behind, Ukai the younger agreed to be their coach, they met Nekoma, and the team grew exponentially. He even forgot to go get the weird quote on the ribbon translated. Everything seemed to rush by- except for Kenma. Something was very familiar about that name to Hinata...

It was only after they were on the bus ride how that he remembered why that name had stuck with him. It was printed in black ink just inside the crook of Kageyama's elbow. The Katakana matched perfectly with what Kenma had put in his phone. Hinata didn't understand why Kageyama hadn't told Kenma. Sure, Kenma seemed a little scared of Kageyama when he tried to approach, but surely he wanted to check if Kageyama was the one, right?

Kageyama was very quiet about it, and Hinata wasn't going to bring it up this early on into their friendship. For now he focused on gently nudging them together, a little text about Kageyama being nice for once to Kenma, mentions of the new game Kenma was playing to Kageyama... Man, he was sneaky. Like a ninja!

Those two would come together in time, but man. Waiting for them to wise up was taking all of Hinata's patience.

Time only seemed to slow down during the tournament when he finally met Oikawa again. Before the match against Aoba Jousai, Hinata pulled Kageyama aside for a talk that was long over do...

Although most of the team hadn't noticed, Oikawa was sulking.

Like, big time sulking.

The kind of sulking that led to moping about during practice or eating tons of ice cream when he'd usually be doing extra practice. And calling Iwaizumi at four in the morning about who he thought the newly formed Mark belong to. Not to say Iwaizumi didn't care about the volleyball stuff, but honestly he was more concerned with the four in the morning calls that were endless speculation.

Because really? He went on and on about it. He spouted faux poetic purple prose shit until the sun rose, and then sometimes all the way to school It was always the same.

"A phoenix right over his heart with words that meant "The Smallest Soar Highest"? What kind of person could have the soul of a phoenix and that dumb quote. What would you even describe them as? Powerful, certainly, to have something like that for a soul. But what else?" I dunno, maybe a it's not a phoenix, but a chicken on fire.

"The fire could symbolize passion, or rage, or the ability to consume somebody. But Phoenixes were usually healing creatures who sung sweetly and had a good sense of character. What about them led to that sort of duality?" Dude are you saying you want to be serenaded or...?

"But with the quote, maybe the person had a name with a kanji that could me "to soar" or "to fly" or something like that." The only person he'd met with a name like that recently was the spitfire from Karasuno. Urgh. Oikawa had a very different obsession with that guy, quietly staring and grinning like a fool. What the hell.

Ever since it formed Oikawa would wax on and on with these questions, and Iwaizumi knew that if he didn't grunt every five seconds Oikawa would start crying instead, the quiet kind that he really hated because it meant something really goddamn awful had happened. He could ignore anything else Oikawa did, but not those goddamn sniffles.

So he endured the mindless speculation until he finally thought of something that might shut him up.

"You know, the day your mark formed was the day we practiced with Karasuno. Maybe it was one of the first years, or hell, even the second or third years. We've never really talked to any of them before."

For a few moments, there was blissful silence. Iwaizumi had almost managed to drift off when the screech of sudden horrified realization echoed from both the cellphone and the house next door. Ah, well. At least Oikawa would stop being aimless with his speculations at four in the morning... He hoped.


	3. Share Your Soul

Outside the roar of the gym it was unexpectedly cool, sweaty shirt sticking to Kageyama's skin. Hinata had dragged him out here for some unnamed reason, but refused to look at him once they finally got 'far away enough'. Watching Hinata's fingers twitch at the hem of his jersey, Kageyama barely gave him ten seconds before losing his patience.

"What is it."

"Huh?"

"What did you pull me aside for, idiot?"

"I'm not an idiot!"

"That's beside the point! Talk, or I'm getting Daichi." Kageyama, for some unfathomable reason, admired Daichi even more than he admired Suga. Daichi was even scarier to deal with than Suga... most of the time.

"Fine! IhaveamarkanditformedwhenwemetaobajousaisoIwaswonderingifyoukne-" Kageyama hand practically slammed over Hinata's mouth. "Urk!"

"All I know is you said 'Mark' and 'Aoba Jousai'. Explain." Considering it for a moment, he then added, "Slowly." before removing his hand.

"I said, I have a mark-" Here he lifted his jersey just enough to display the scepter to Kageyama, "and it formed on the day we met Aoba Jousai's team. I didn't meet any new people that day except them, and I was... y'know, wondering if you knew anybody on the team who. Had a mark? Pleasedon'tkillme."

Hinata stared. Kageyama stared back. Hinata kept staring. Kageyama's eyes started to water.

"Put your shirt down, fuck!"

"Don't swear!" Kageyama still wondered why Hinata was so against swearing. Did he have a little sister or something?

"I can swear if I want when you're destined to love one of my ex-team mates, holy shit. But I can't really tell you anything except they can't have been in my year."

"B-but!" Hinata pouted, shirt still halfway up his chest.

"No! Seriously, I have my suspicions-" what with the Mark being a scepter that basically screamed OIKAWA TOORU'S PROPERTY NO TOUCHY, "-but I haven't seen anyone on my old team with a Mark. So put your shirt _down._ " Hinata rolled his eyes and finally let the black and orange hide his Mark.

"Well you didn't even notice my Mark, and we've been practicing together for ages!"

"Dumbass Hinata, you deliberately change with your back facing the room. Who's going to see that?" Speaking of, Oikawa had always done the same.

The clues were all pointing towards the Grand King so far, but what exactly about Oikawa made him and Hinata so compatible? Sure, they played volleyball, but Kageyama was a better match for Hinata there. They also had their own sort of ~charm~ that made people like them, but Oikawa attracted romance and Hinata attracted... volleyball players. There was also the age gap- though close to none of one in the lack of maturity they both displayed. Kageyama just didn't get it.

[Rubbing his inner elbow, he wondered when he'd meet his Name. Or if he had already. After all, you don't just go up to someone and ask "Hey, is your name Pudding Head?"]

But Hinata would figure it out later. Maybe he should go and privately confront Oikawa about it before Hinata realized, because as much as he admired him, he would not tolerate Oikawa rejecting Hinata. Even if Hinata probably deserved better.

"For now go out on that court and show your Mark Writer how much you've improved. We've got a match to win, after all." Smacking Hinata's shoulder, he turned around and headed back into the gym.


	4. The Kings Confer

Kageyama came to a resolution when they lost to Aoba Jousai, Oikawa walking away with his head held high and eyes already on the next obstacle.

He was going to tell Oikawa to get of his ass and decided what was more important.

His own goals.

Or his Mark Writer.

Oikawa was strong, and he had a place all lined up for his future in volleyball. A place Kageyama didn't know Hinata would be able to follow- or would want to, if he really stuck with Kageyama, who would oppose Oikawa. There was no other way.

Kageyama knew Hinata didn't really want to know who his Writer was yet. The way he fidgeted when Names or Marks were brought up, the long delay between knowing where his Mark Writer was and asking about who it could be... Hinata wasn't ready. That, or he somehow knew Oikawa would graduate and go far, far away, where Hinata could no longer reach him for two years at the very least. Maybe he thought it would be less painful to act like it'd never happened.

Well, whatever. Hinata deserved a chance, even if it was with someone as despicable as Oikawa Tooru. And Oikawa had at the very least earned Kageyama's respect as player, if not his trust as a person. They both needed a chance.

Which was why, the night after Shirotorizawa defeated Aoba Jousai again, he called Iwaizumi.

"Hello?"

"Iwaizumi-sempai, could I talk to Oikawa soon?"

"...What is this about?"

"Well. He has a mark, doesn't he?"

"How do you- Nevermind. Just- Just make him stop calling me at four in the morning." Four in the morning? Why would Oikawa call Iwaizumi that early?

There was a long pause, the sound of a hand muffling the phone. Tapping his foot, he huffed out a steamy breath. It was cold outside, but it kept his thoughts clear. Kept him from wondering about his own Name. There was a loud thud, and a different voice came drifting out of the speaker. Did Iwaizumi just throw his phone at Oikawa? Kageyama knew they were neighbors, but really...

"Tobio-chan~ I hear you know who my Mark Writer is?" His back stiffened when Oikawa's voice suddenly lowered. "Which is interesting, seeing as I've been doing such a good job with putting my fake Name in Henna on my hand every two weeks since... well. Before we met."

Well, that cured Kageyama of all doubts. Oikawa had always had a very small, very foreign name looking written on the meat of his palm but he'd never... Well, he'd never really touched it. People with Names always rubbed their Name for comfort, or when thoughts drifted- but Oikawa had a habit of instead reaching for his shirt, grabbing a handful right over his heart. It's not like he did it very often- it took a lot to make Oikawa that uncomposed- but Kageyama seemed to put him on edge like no one else.

"I know because his mark was so damn obvious. Really, a scepter? And some quote? I looked it up, it's in really old language- Kojiki or something. 'Determination over Skill' is a really weird quote." Pausing, he sighed when Oikawa stayed silent. "I was going to ask to meet up, but over the phone is fine for now. I suppose you have questions?"

"So who is it then?" Oikawa's voice had a gratingly false sweetness to it, trying to be nice enough for Kageyama to tell him at least this one thing.

"He doesn't want you to know."

"D-doesn't want me to- does he know it's me?"

"No. He just knows it's someone from Aoba Jousai... And that it can't be any of the first years."

"But why?"

"Well I told him about the first years not having Marks, but I don't know why he doesn't want to know. Maybe he suspects it's you- not that he's told me. Frankly, I don't want you to know either."

"But you're calling to tell me."

"...Yes."

"Why."

"Because he deserves a chance to at least try to make you stay before you go off and leave him even further behind."

"Do I get a hint, Tobio-chan?"

"Hmn." Thinking, he sighed through his nose. "He's in my year."

"That's hardly a hint at all, Tobio-chan."

"It's all you're getting until you pull your head out of your ass and think." He spat, before taking a deep breath. "Look at your mark- not that I know what it is- and think about who you directly talked to when you first met Karasuno this year." Oikawa's end was silent for a moment, before a choking noise came from the other line.

"S-Shou-"

"There. When you stop freaking out, call me back. Stop putting on that fake name, and give Iwaizumi-senpai his phone back!" With that, he ended that call and turned his phone off. If Oikawa called back in the next day, it would be too soon. Slumping against his window pane, he breathed in the chilly air and tried to forget his bitterness.

Hinata Shouyou. Shouyou Hinata. Shouyou- to soar. Shou-chan. Hina-kun. Shou-kun. Hina-chan. The untapped Small Giant. The tiny ace. The best decoy. His Mark Writer. His. Only his.

It was so obvious, with the small phoenix on his chest practically shouting who it was with that tiny quote. Why hadn't he realized sooner?

Oikawa was unnervingly quiet when he threw Iwaizumi back his phone, not even muttering a good night before he closed his window and collapsed onto his futon.

Iwaizumi might have said something- Oikawa didn't know. If it was important, he'd tell him in the morning. Oh! He'd have to tell him about Shou-chan being his Writer. A smile grew slowly on his lips until it practically split his face. He knew who it was! Shou-chan was his! They could be together.

All he had to do was convince Hinata that they were meant to be.

If he dreamed that night of being wrapped around that orange ball of light and determination, who could blame him.

If he dreamt of holding hands and nothing else, Iwaizumi would snort at his "mushy romantic crap".

But he did dream of Hinata Shouyou. That was all he cared to admit.


	5. We Want YOU

Oikawa Tooru had a plan. He was convinced it was foolproof, the best plan to ever exist.

Iwaizumi Hajime was on standby with a fire extinguisher just in case this plan somehow actually started a fire. Metaphorically or literally. Hopefully not on his cat- again. (Oikawa was seven, and there'd been sparklers, okay?)

The plan went a little something like this: First, get a way to be near Hinata. His original go to was to make Kageyama give him Hinata's number, but Kageyama reminded him that he didn't have a phone, had never needed Hinata's number, and wouldn't give it to him anyway. Then he decided to ask for a practice match- surely the coach would indulge his star setter?

It hadn't been a week since the (very long) Training Camp with Nekoma and Fukurodani when Aoba Jousai actually called Takeda to ask for a practice match.

(Long story short, Oikawa had asked, Coach has said no. Oikawa sulked at Iwaizumi's house for the next three days. Iwaizumi asked, Coach said yes. Oikawa still pouted, but over at his own house, and mostly because they'd have to wait until after Karasuno had come back and rested for a bit.)

Secondly, he needed to talk to Hinata alone. He was suave, of course he was, he had so many girls show up to watch games just because he was there. It's just. Maybe. That when he thought of talking with Hinata, he thought of flirting with Hinata and he sort of. Blushed. A lot. Maybe got a tiny little hint of a boner. And was unable to function for a few minutes while he hid out in the bathroom.

Iwaizumi had rectified that problem fairly quickly by standing outside the bathroom and muttering, "If you get a boner from just trying to talk to him you're going to get kicked in the nuts, and not just by me or Hinata."

He stopped blushing and stuff after that... advice? Was it advice?

After that, the third and final step was easy- show him the mark. He had considered ignoring step two, but the Mark was sort of a private thing and Hinata didn't even seem to want this... whatever they could have. It was better to get him alone where he could think, and Oikawa could keep him in place.

If it turned out to be more of a sexual relationship then, well. He dragged his tongue across dry lips. They could start it sooner rather than later.

During the camp Kenma had gained enough courage (or had had enough of Shouyou trying to "trip him into Kageyama's arms") to talk to Kageyama.

Kageyama was still elated that Kenma had his Name, and had dedicated himself to learning how to text/email Kenma 'properly'. Hinata snapchatted Kenma pictures of Kageyama hovering over his phone, pouting almost prettily at the (very new) Samsung he'd purchased just to talk to Kenma.

Kenma was as smitten looking as his usually stoic features could get. Hinata knew because Kuroo would send him snapchats of those moments, sometimes while making a gagging motion. Everything seemed to be going quite well.

Which is why Hinata didn't expect the sudden news that Aoba Jousai had invited Karasuno to practice match, and their stipulation was a one-on-one with Hinata and Oikawa.

Outside. Where no one else would be. For at least half an hour.

Hinata didn't know what he'd done exactly to make the Grand King so interested, but it was scary. The only thing scarier than hitting Kageyama in the back on the head while serving was being alone with his old senpai who he learned everything from. Well, except his facial expressions. He always looked a lot like Iwaizumi did when dealing with Oikawa...

"...And the practice match will be tomorrow! Any questions?" Ukai stood in front of them, eyeing all of them.

"Why are they singling out Hinata? It sounds like Oikawa wants to bully him or something." Ennochita said, carefully not looking at Hinata and keeping out of reach of Hinata's adoring senpai.

"Hmm... They said something about Oikawa working on Hinata's receives, but I don't really know? Kageyama?"

"Oikawa's a di-"

"DON'T SWEAR!" Hinata screeched before Suga could do anything more than look over sharply. Kageyama paused, shrugged, and continued.

"...It's possible Oikawa admires Hinata and wants to observe him. Otherwise, I don't know myself."

"In what way?" Takeda piped up, hand halfway into the air as if he was a student in class. "They play two opposing positions."

"He might want Hinata to be able to work with a setter that isn't me. Oikawa hates me because I'm a 'genius'. Hinata is more like him- practicing after hours, having no natural abilities, and a few other things. To him, it's a waste Hinata's stuck with me."

"What things?" Daichi asked, genuinely curious. He still got an elbow to the ribs from Suga when Hinata wilted.

"Popularity." Tsukki looked very confused at Kageyama's blunt certainty.

"...Hinata doesn't have a pack of girls following him around...?" Yamaguchi voiced.

"But he's made friends with volleyball players from every team we've ever played. Everyone in his class likes him. Charisma is charisma, Hinata just doesn't use it to flirt."

"You sound almost jealous~" Tanaka snickered, hand covering his mouth. Nishinoya snorted in the background, but quickly stopped himself from laughing when he noticed Asahi looking at him with big, watery, disappointed eyes. Hinata had only recently learned they had each others Names.

"Hn?" Kageyama tilted his head to the side. "No? I have Kozume."

"Kozume? Who's Kozume?"

"Right! Anyway, make sure to sleep well tonight, and all that. They'll be gauging our new abilities as much as we will, so if you have anything particularly shocking you learned, try not to use it until a real match. And..."

Hinata was currently nauseous with nerves. He'd managed to make it through the bus ride over with no incidents (though Tanaka still refused to sit next to him after last time and still carried an extra pair of pants despite Nishinoya's laughter) but the moment they were parked he was off the bus and trying to find the bathroom. Where was it? He'd been here before, shouldn't he remember where the stupid bathrooms were?

This wouldn't be happening if he wasn't so hopped up on the idea they were here. His Mark Writer was here, probably looking for him- he was surprised no one had tried to approach him about in back at the tournament. Did they fear finding him too? Which guy was it? Was it that bastard, Kunimi?!

While lost in these treacherous thoughts, he ran straight into someone's chest. Whitewhitewhite. They felt warm. Safe. He forgot to push away and apologize because it felt... right.

And then he opened his mouth.

"Hello, Shou-chan! Do you remember where the bathrooms are? You look green."

He looked up, wide eyed, at a smug Oikawa Tooru.


	6. All You Say is Blah, Blah

"I'm not green!" Way to go Hinata, of course that'd the most important thing to establish, go right on ahead. "And I know where the bathrooms are!"

"Really? Then you won't mind showing me the way? I was just about to head there myself~" Goddang, his bluff had been called.

"Uh. Uhm." Come on Hinata, think! Think with your tiny volleyball brain. "You have to let me go first!" Oikawa pouted slightly and tightened his hold instead. Hold? Hmm. Yeah, they were still sort of stuck together except... Oikawa's arm and looped around his shoulders. Huh. Why hadn't he noticed? And had someone turned up the heater?

"Let me think... No!"

"No?!"

"No~" Spinning Hinata around, Oikawa rested his chin on top of his head and looped his arms around Hinata's shoulders. Hinata felt another wave of warmth spread from his chest, so tempting to just lean back... "Lead the way, Shou-chan!"

"B-but!" His brain was mush by now. Just being held felt so good. What was happening? Surely Oikawa wasn't his Mark Writer, what with the name on his palm.

"What are you doing to our decoy now, preppy setter?" Ah, Tsukki had just turned the corner and seen. There was the slightest edge is his voice that made Hinata stiffen. Oikawa's arms tightened around his shoulders for half a second.

"Oh, I'm just seeing if he knows where the bathroom is. I mean, it would be a pity if he got lost before our one on one..." Was it just him, or did Oikawa sound... like he was pissed?

"Sure you were," He drawled, eyebrows raised skeptically, "But that's unnecessary, since I just passed by it." Striding forward Tsukki tugged Hinata out of Oikawa's grip. "Come on, idiot, I'm not letting you throw up on me." As Tsukki led him away, he looked back to see Oikawa smiling and waving at him with his unmarked left ha- wait a second.

Unmarked? That was the hand Hinata was sure he'd seen a mark on, curving in foreign letters on the palm. Where had it gone? Was he hallucinating?

As soon as Tsukki had dragged him into the bathroom itself, he turned to Hinata and stared.

"Is it him?"

"Huh?"

"Is. It. Him?

"What do you mean, 'is it him'?"

"After we had our first practice match you suddenly had a Mark. Was it him?"

"You mean you saw it before anyone else did? And you never told me?!"

"Yamaguchi said it was rude to confront you." Shrugging, Tsukki continued to stare. Wasn't he confronting Hinata right now?

"Then all the first years know!" Hinata huffed, glaring at Tsukki like it was his fault. And well. Half of it was? Tsukki didn't respond. "...Well, I dunno. I've never found the time to ask any of them, and you know. Marks are sort of. Private." And Hinata really, really didn't want to know. Or at least, didn't want to be tied to someone he might never see again so strongly.

"Surely you must have some idea." At Hinata's blank gaze Tsukki sighed and muttered, "Or maybe Kageyama knows?"

"He said it can't be any of the first years? And something about having a suspicion, but he never told me who."

"Hmph. You should be careful around Oikawa then. He might be testing you." Brushing past Hinata, he muttered, "You're going to be late," letting Hinata panic in his wake.

Not again, was all Asahi could think.

Nishinoya had been talking with- Iwaizumi, Asahi thinks- when the whole incident had started. Nishinoya had been bragging about how he was stronger than he looked, and Iwaizumi snorted.

"Prove it."

Oh, god. If Asahi had been listening he would have been prepared, but well. He'd been busy trying to avoid conflict with the other team before practice really started and Hinata went to practice outside. Yamaguchi as it turned out had a lot of things in common with Asahi, and they'd been having a very nice chat about bento making when suddenly Asahi was scooped up in Nishinoya's arms. Goddammit.

"N-nishinoya?!" Asahi buried his burning face in his hands. This was it, this was how he died, from shame in front of all of Karasuno and Aoba Jousai. He thought he could hear Takeda muffling giggles from the stands.

"See, I can totally carry him!" He didn't even sound winded. How was that fair?

"Wooh, Nishinoya did it again!" Hinata chirped, just barely avoiding Kageyama's hand. "Are you gonna carry him to the parking lot this time too?"

"If he does it'll be 20 extra laps for Asahi," Daichi growled, steadily advancing from the other side of the gym. Suga wasn't even trying to stop him!

"Why Asahi?!" At least Yachi was on his side. Maybe Kiyoko too, but it was hard to tell with how silent she could be.

"Aah, such a strong little guy!" Was that Oikawa? Oh no... "I wonder if the other little one can do it~" Hinata had probably shrunk behind Kageyama, who looked unamused even as he shifted to better shield the orange puffball. It'd happened many times.

"Of course he can! I bet he can even lift you!" Look, Asahi understands you adore your precious underclassman, but you can't just volunteer him like that!

"I doubt that," Iwaizumi was encouraging him again. Why? Why did he have to do this? Asahi thought Oikawa was the evil one, but no. They were both evil.

"It'll be funny to see him try," Was that Tsukishima?!

"Yeah, I mean, he's so easy to pick up," And here Asahi finally looked up to see Hinata hanging like a wet kitten from Oikawa's grasp on the back of his shirt, "How could he possible pick anyone else up?" Kageyama stepped forward, looking ready to pry Hinata away from Oikawa, but Hinata jumped down before he could.

"I totally can!"

"Prove it~"

Before anyone could react, Hinata had Oikawa's knees out from under him and had him slung over his shoulders in a fireman's carry. His cheeks were puffed out in a pout.

When the attention had shifted, Nishinoya finally let Asahi down, fingers brushing over his wrist and sending his a bright smile. Something in his chest melted when Noya touched his Name. All was forgiven.

"See!" Hinata huffed, jostling Oikawa's arm to get his attention, "It's not that hard! You're just tall." Oikawa was... suspiciously quiet. The crowd parted to let a exasperated looking Iwaizumi through.

"Good job, puffball-" Hinata let out an indignant sounding squeak- "Now please let our setter down. Unless you're going to carry him to your one on one?" With that Hinata had Oikawa off his shoulders in one smooth movement. Sticking out his tongue for a brief moment, he muttered "Don't underestimate me," before darting off to a hysterically laughing Tanaka. Noya followed right behind.

Asahi could of sworn he heard Oikawa dazedly mutter "That was so hot," and Iwaizumi mutter back, "You're so creepy..."


	7. Bare Your Heart

The coaches called them to order very soon after the 'incident'. Oikawa was still lingering on how toned his Mark Writer was... Oh, he'd gotten lucky, so very, very lucky... But luckily, Iwaizumi's piercing look managed to keep those thoughts in check.

"I hate repeating myself, so let's make this clear. Oikawa and Hinata will be practicing on their own outside. The rest of you will be in practice matches inside. After the first thirty minutes Oikawa and Hinata come back inside. Anything to add, Coach Ukai?"

"Yes." The young coach looked so serious, even with his bleached hair and cocky eyebrows. How dare he have cocky eyebrows, that- "Please use the restroom before the match. Please." It almost looked like he was staring at Hinata when he said that. Well, Oikawa mused, he did have a habit of meeting the little guy outside restrooms before or after a big match. Which was weird, but whatever. "That's all. Oh, and Oikawa-kun," Ukai said as Oikawa started towards Hinata, "We will be checking in."

He could feel Karasuno's gaze burning into him. Pfft, as if they could stop him now. "Yes, of course Coach Blondie, we'll behave~" He chirped while herding Hinata toward the door with a challenge for a smile. The door swung shut behind them just in time to deflect the volleyball somebody had thrown. Who knows who it was? Certainly not Iwaizumi.

He was unable to tell if the warmth he felt was from the sunlight or the boy next to him, but it still unnerved him a little. Oikawa hadn't had a family who had any experience with marks and this odd connection they already had was foreign. Names didn't have the same sensation as this, and certainly not before you really bonded. He hoped it wasn't all in his head...

"Well, Shou-chan, it's just you and me. Has anyone ever taught you how to serve?"

"No? Back in middle school I just received for the girl's team and did drills like that. And now I'm a decoy, so I basically do what Kageyama wants to do."

"Why would you practice with the girl's team?"

"We didn't have a boys team, duh. I tried to make one, but eh. No one would join."

"Hmm." That was... actually sort of sad. He'd know no one had seemingly known where Hinata had come from except Kageyama, but that was just... "Well, you still need to know how to serve- honestly every time they make you serve in a match you look like you want to bolt. So, stand over here, let's work on your form..."

Hinata was feeling calm. Not like the everyday sort of calm, but the almost peace you achieve while in the middle of doing something of absolute importance. Everything fell into place. His gaze drifted to Oikawa's hand, breathing out slowly when he still saw no name. He knew he hadn't hallucinated it- Kenma had been very insistent Hinata get a smartphone and actually use it- so a quick search between using the bathroom and getting to the court had dozens interview pictures with the fake name blurred but still there in rusty red.

He remembered those days right before kindergarten when his mother had told him that they could give him a fake name in something called Henna. It involved a weird paste, and meticulous detail, and sitting still every two weeks. Just because he hadn't done it didn't mean his Mark Writer hadn't- that maybe Oikawa hadn't.

Oh yes, Oikawa. How odd was it that he looked so much like those dreams he'd had all his life. How curious Hinata thought of his as the Grand King, how he thought of him above all the other players though everyone in Aoba Jousai was formidable... He just felt right. Too many coincidences. He should be panicking right now. He didn't want to be with someone who was about to leave him behind, who would never look back.

He stared at the other side of the net, volleyball gripped tightly in his hands. Moving forward, he tossed the ball into the air, and jumped to hit it...

He shouldn't want this. Shouldn't want pain.

The ball flew over the net, making a satisfying thwack as it connected with the water bottle.

Pain he'd feel again... and want still...

Oikawa breathed in and turned to him, smile handsome and eyes closed after Hinata finally hit a good serve.

There was a tightness in his heart that relaxed with that. It was too late, he supposed. Oikawa already had a hold. He'd never stood a chance...

"Why'd you want this one on one, Oikawa?"

Ah. He'd known this question was coming. He'd been waiting for it. But did Hinata have to look like that while saying it?

His face was just like the calm of a storm. There was a shadow over his unblinking eyes, a challenge radiating from him that made Oikawa shiver. He'd already seen it once, twice before- but it still made him freeze.

"Well, Kageyama can't have you all the time." Excuse. "I thought it would be nice to see how we might play together." Excuse. "And really, you still hadn't learned how to serve. Who knows if you ever would have if I hadn't taught you..." So many excuses all crammed together.

"Uh huh. Well, I thought it might be because you found out about my Mark."

"You have a Mark?" He couldn't bring himself to sound surprised.

"Of course you knew." Hinata reached for the back of his collar, pulling his jersey over his head in a swift motion. The sun hit the silvers and whites and blues while Oikawa took in the scepter and it's quote with greedy eyes. His hands shook- it was his handwriting on the quote, carefully tattooed over Hinata's ribs in light blue ink. The image was almost long enough to reach his waistband to his collar bone. It was perfect. " 'Cause it's yours, I think."

Instead of responding, Oikawa dragged his jersey off and displayed the reds and golds and oranges of his own Mark, watching Hinata's face slowly brighten as he took in the phoenix and the messy scrawl curving over Oikawa's heart that had to be his. Yes. Yes, finally, finally... He wanted to reach out and touch... But.

"What're we going to do?" That... was a good point.

"You know, I hadn't thought that far ahead. I'm going off to college, and you're... Well."

"I'm stuck here." His tone should have been bitter, but it seemed more like acceptance. "You're gonna call me. And give me your skype. And your email!"

"I-?"

"You are, and then we're gonna talk whenever we can. We can figure out the rest later." Later sounded ominous, but well. If it made Hinata happy.

Putting his own jersey back on, he noticed Hinata pouting instead of following his example.

"Come on Shou-chan, we've got to head back inside. Put your jersey on. Or do you want Coach Blondie to murder me~?"

"He wouldn't!"

"Then maybe that captain of yours would. Daichi, wasn't it?"

"Suga would murder you first," and the way Hinata said it so matter of fact made Oikawa wonder what exactly had made him think that. Suga hadn't seemed particularly threatening...

"Sure he would. Now seriously, put your shirt on!"

"Not until you kiss me."

Ah. Well, if Hinata insisted...


End file.
